Well, I just got the package a few days ago and have tried wearing all of them out - one a day. I haven't bought frags in a long long time so I'll count this occasion as a return and revival of my fragrance addiction! You might notice that this is a very "sweet" purchase. Lots of gourmands!

Gucci Pour Homme II Gift Set: 9.5/10 - Yes! The perfect "summer" scent for people who despises "fresh" scents. This was love at first smell -- despite a large portion of BN reviews stating that this was a disappointment. Tried sampling and resampling over and over again. This is no GPH I and is indeed very much on a direction of its own. Very refined tea and cinnamon with fresh chopped wood. The dry down for me is STILL black tea. Longevity is great, it's like I'm carrying a cup of black tea with me all day long. I'm extremely happy with this one. Oh, and it's also one of the best bottles I've seen.

Masaki Matsushimi Mat; Very Male: 8.5/10 - Wow. I wasn't really intending to buy this, but the price was attractive and I heard some good things -- so I thought -- why not? I am very impressed. IMO, this is even better than Lolita Lempicka. Smoother, more refined, less cloying, and all in all much better wearability. Good use of the sambuca - anise - licorice trio. Mat's bottle is a really cool "matte" black. Stare at it long enough and it looks like a robed man with hands clasped together. Highly recommended! (especially if you like KenzoAir)

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin: 7.5/10 - Sweet and cloying, but has lots of personality. Sweet sweet pleasurable base. Reminds me a bit of Le Male -- but with vanilla toned down and replaced with licorice and anise. Well, at least it's really "attention grabbing" and brutally rich. Not the best, but it's something I'm sure I will wear from time to time.

JPG Gaultier2 - (2.9)^2/10 = (8.41) - No! The sweetness doesn't end just there I'm afraid! Amber. Vanilla. Musk. That's what you get at first -- and that's what you'll get in the end as well. The sweetness, for me, is "just about right." Sexy, rich, daring, and different. As a side note, I'm using it as a "fridge magnet" at the moment.

CDG 2: 8.2/10 - My initial reaction was ugh, what's this, magnolia? After an hour or so, pretty fascinating. It is strangely comforting despite being disturbing dissonant though. I can only pull this one off when wearing certain clothes and only on some days. Anyway, I'm liking it more and more by the hour. A strange oddity for my wardrobe.

CDG Vettiveru - 8/10 - Simple. Light. Green. Vetiver. Old fashioned, but modern enough for wearing. Will not buy from this category anymore. Will keep it as my sole vetiver.

CDG Kyoto - 9.25/10 - Living in Asia, I can say for sure that this IS incense. Exactly the kind I can sense when visiting temples. Very zen-like. Soothing. Contemplative. This is perfect for a rainy day. Even more perfect because the "rainy season" in Thailand starts this month. I would never ever wear it out in the heat. It's raining today and I am currently using it.

Hanae Mori HM EDP - 8.314159/10 - As citrusy as a gourmand can ever be! My initial impression was that it was really "sharp" and lemony. VERY impressive as it progresses. Please try it out! Balanced. Refined. Sweet. Unique. I like this alot more than Pi!

CK One Scene - 6.5/10 - Good - but doesn't really work that well on me. Totally different one CK One. Intense vanillic floral with some spice, "green", and musk -- didn't expect this from CK. This doesn't smell like the 90's at all.

What do you guys think? Anyway, any scents to recommend based on my reviews? I'd really love to find something else with tea as the stand-out note as well. Was thinking of ordering a sample of L'Artisan's Tea for Two.

I will come back and review the samples I recieved in a bit. =) Oh, and scores are subject to change anytime.

Funny, I gave that one a 8.17241 (well, assuming I'd smelled it [it's one that I want to]). I enjoyed reading the reviews! Glad you seemed to really enjoy all your selections as well! BN has gotten me terrified of the blind buy, I have to say.

Mat:Very Male is a BRILLIANT scent....one of THE most underrated scents around right now for men. It smells like it should cost $300 a bottle....but it doesn't. The bottle is fantastic, the scent is strong and bold.....for me, it's like Liquorice + Coffee + Cardimum + the spiciest mixture of cloves and black pepper.....i LOVE it and have been singing its praises for a while...and will continue to.

Also, Very Male is great for layering...i generally combine it with something light, like Dior Homme....and almost always get compliments for it.

I'm wearing Hanae Mori now and it's lovely, and yes, just EDT. I love Gucci II too, it is quite nice, especially that sharp tea note lingering throughout its life on my skin. Looking to get a bottle soon as at the moment I only have a sample vial.